Paul Morel both loves and is repelled by his mother, a good woman who makes up for her poor marriage to a violent, uneducated man by lavishing all her attention on her sons. But as Paul grows up and takes lovers, the feelings between mother and son will produce only terrible conflict between what Paul wants, and what he truly needs.

'Nearly every page of it is absolutely perfect'
PHILIP LARKIN

'There is nothing like Sons and Loversin the whole of literature'
BLAKE MORRISON